ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pronounce

v.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //pɹəˈnaʊns// UK //pɹənˈaʊns// pro·nounce General-service

v. to make the sound of a word or letter with your voice. It describes how you say something clearly so others can understand you.

v. to articulate or produce the sounds of a word or language using the vocal organs. Often used to describe the specific manner in which a speaker delivers a phoneme or syllable.


SIMPLE

How do you pronounce your last name?

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher asked the students to listen carefully and then pronounce the new vocabulary words together.

COMPLEX

Even though she had lived in the city for a decade, she still found it difficult to pronounce certain local street names correctly without a slight accent.

Synonyms
Origin

Recorded since c.1330 as Middle English pronouncen (“to utter, declare officially”), from Old French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiō, itself from prō- (“forth, out, in public”) + nūntiō (“to announce”) from nūntius (“messenger”).

Usage

The verb is transitive when referring to words or sounds; it can also be used intransitively to describe the general act of speaking.

Pitfall

How do you pronounce of this word?How do you pronounce this word?Pronounce is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without a preposition.

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